As collectors, we transverse between the realms of BS and truth. We, for the most part, believe that other collectors will be honest to us in sales and trade posts and dealings. We try to believe that when they say an item is legit, complete, and undamaged or broken that they are indeed telling the truth. Unfortunately, this doesn't always the case. There are less than honest sellers, dealers, and just plain old scumbags that lead to the situation I ran into 3 years ago. I purchased what I thought was an official Fansproject Stormbomb from a fellow "collector" on Facebook. Stormbomb was the last figure needed to complete my trio of insecticons. I even overpaid for it at a whopping $60. It wasn't until it arrived and removed from its clam shell that I noticed it was a KO. Whats a Ko? Simply put its a knockoff of an item made to look like the original and usually sold at a cheaper price. I contacted the seller about it, but because he was an admin of the group I purchased the item from, I was simply blocked and removed from the group. And so I was stuck with my knockoff figure....
At least until 3 weeks ago when I found a loose version stated to be an original listed on Ebay. I was hesitant to purchase the loose figure, to be honest, since I had no way to know if it was real or KO. I did an internet search in the hopes to find some visual comparison guides between the two and found none. I asked on Facebook groups and got even less help. I did get a story from a guy that stated the real version squished/pinched his dingus and the ko didn't. Why he lets his toys do that to his unmentionables is beyond me but hey to each their own. We all have our weird ...So I took the plunge and bought the figure off ebay. Once it arrived I noticed the quality difference right away and have come to the conclusion that it is indeed a legit item. I also decided I wanted to do this comparison blog post to help others in their purchases.
So here I go on what I have gleaned difference wise between the two that can be seen visually. Hope it helps....
Upper Body Differences
Head Refinement
The head on the original looks clean with detailed straight lines. The details just pop. On the ko they look more muted as if the figure has wear and the details have been worn down. The paint on the Ko also looks sloppy.
Grill Plates on the Arms
One of the first things I noticed on the figure were the Different colored grill plates on the shoulder pads. The grey paint used on the original figure are a darker shade of grey than on the ko.
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Difference in the Grey plastics
On the original figure the grey plastics on both the figure parts and its weapons have a sheen almost metallic or polished look to it. The Ko is just a flat light grey plastic. Once in hand you will also notice that the Ko's grey plastic feels cheaper, softer and has more bend/play in it.
Upper arm Differences
Under the shoulder cover there is an arm joint. On the original the joint is more recessed. While on the Ko it protrudes more out. The upper arm is connected by a mushroom joint. On the Ko it is a thicker joint that doesn't allow it to be slid all the way in. This is creating stress on the arm piece it slides into. Then there are the injection mold marks. On the Ko there is a single injection mold mark. On the original it has 2. Elbow wise there is a pin that allows for articulation. The original has a larger pin while the Ko has a skinnier pin.
I am including some secondary pictures of the arms without the circled areas for the details can be seen better.
Original
KO
Lower Body Differences
Ab Plates divide
On the figures there are what look to be abs. There is a line that separates the 2 sides of the abs. On the Original the line is very thin. While on the KO it is clearly wider.
Different sized trapezoidal shape on Crotch
The figure has that shape on its crotch piece. The original has a longer version on it while the ko's is noticeably shorter. So I guess in this case size does matter.
Cut line on the hip covers
The hip skirts have this circular design that is cut in half. On the original there is a lip that protrudes from the circle bit. On the KO the cut is right up to the circle bit no lip at all.
Leg details gap
The figure has 2 details on his legs. They are split apart by a gap between them. On the original this gap is thinner. The Ko's gap is wider again almost looking as if the mold had been stretched out.
Insect Leg Pins
Talking about pins there is also a difference in the insect leg joint pins. On the original they used a closed off pin. While in the KO it is a hollowed out pin.
Back of the Legs
On the back of the robots legs you will notice a few differences as well. The legs tab together to form the back of the insect. the connection tabs are reversed on the ko from how they are on the original. I have marked them below.
Heels
The heels of the robots have a longer peg on one side to allow the figure to do an a stance. On the Ko this piece is on the inside instead of the outside like they should be.
Knee screws
On the original the knee screws are on the inside so they would be less visible. On the ko I am not sure if the same knee joint was used on both sides to save costs but you can see the screw on the outside of one knee. Mine has his on the left. But I have seen pictures of the screw showing on the right as well.
That's it for the visible items I found. Now there are Things you will notice once the figure is in hand. The feel of the plastic on the KO is softer feeling. The Ko weighs less. The joints are very loose. Now I am sure most of these issues can be fixed. But the mold differences can't be changed.
Visibly In Hand Differences
Details
As I look through out the figure I noticed that the entire figure on the ko has this worn down or stretched out details. The original just looks cleaner all the way around.
Injection Sprue cut marks.
Sprue cut marks! Oh so many sprue cut marks. The ko is suffering from many many visible sprue cut marks. The one seen most times are on the head armor? piece on the left. But upon inspection I found a few on the arms and legs. Which are not there on the original.
Darker Purple Plastic
On the Original the purple plastic used on the body is more muted or lighter. On the Ko it is a deeper richer looking purple. Actually I think I prefer the darker purple of the ko. Unfortunately this color difference is hard to capture on camera.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully this guide will help all my fellow collectors from being scammed out of their hard earned money. I would do the other kos of this set but I don't have them.If someone wants to send them to me I'll gladly take them! I may just try to fix this ko to see how right I can make it. As for the idiots on Facebook that rather mock or give asinine jerk answers to people's questions, I say this: Just because you can be a Jerk doesn't mean you have to be. Just because you may have issues that make you want to make others feel bad or little that doesn't mean you should. Get the help you need instead of being a jerk. Because in reality it doesn't make you look funny. It doesn't make you seem like a good joyful person. It makes you look sad, mean and dumb. Remember folks be good to each other and God Bless.
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